Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to the Saudi Arabian coalition operations in Yemen; and in what circumstances that support would be withdrawn.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are not participating directly in Saudi Arabian led military operations in Yemen, but we are providing technical support, precision-guided weapons and exchanging information with the Saudi Arabian armed forces through pre-existing arrangements. In addition to the personnel who continue to provide support for equipment supplied, we have a small number of liaison personnel in Saudi Arabia and coalition air and maritime headquarters. This includes personnel in the Maritime Coalition Coordination Centre in the region supporting the delivery of humanitarian aid into Yemen.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the conflict in Yemen with Al-Qaeda on (a) global security and (b) security in the Arabian Peninsula; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain extremely concerned about the situation in Yemen and the risk that terrorists groups may exploit the ongoing instability. The recent death of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's leader and Al Qaeda Core’s Deputy, Nasir al Wuhayshi, was a servere blow to Al Qaeda but it has not reduced the threat it poses. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula continues to threaten the UK and Western interests in Yemen, and poses a global security risk. We are committed to supporting the Yemeni government in establishing a stable and secure Yemen and we continue to work with regional and international partners to tackle the threat posed by AQAP.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Met Office: Pay

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much was paid in bonuses to Met Office staff in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: An element of Met Office overall pay award for staff is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. These payments are used to reward excellence and drive high performance. Met Office staff are eligible to receive performance related pay based on achievements against specific targets agreed and monitored by the Met Office Board, which are linked to the success of the Met Office at either individual, team or organisational level. Payments are non-consolidated and represent part of Met Office staff remuneration which is at risk and needs to be re-earned each year. The following table details the amount paid in performance related pay to staff employed at the Met Office in each of the last five years.   Total paid in non-consolidated, performance related awards (£’000)12014-154,2792013-144,1512012-134,5792011-123,5412010-114,2331 These are gross figures and include commercial team sales-related performance elements.

Productivity

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of zombie companies on national productivity; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Zombie companies are companies that are allowed by banks to delay repayment of a loan so that they effectively only pay the interest due rather than the full loan amount. Bank of England analysis of this ‘loan forbearance’ suggests that only a relatively small proportion of small businesses are in receipt of any form of forbearance (around 6% of SME borrowers in 2013). The Bank concludes that forbearance by banks on loans to small businesses would therefore appear to account for only a small proportion of the weakness in aggregate UK productivity. The Bank’s analysis was published in the Bank’s quarterly bulletin which can be found on the Bank of England’s website.

Student Loans Company: Complaints

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the Student Loans Company on the level of complaints it receives.

Joseph Johnson: There have been no recent discussions between Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Ministers and the Student Loans Company on the level of complaints it receives. BIS holds regular discussions on a range of issues with the Student Loans Company. This includes formal performance reviews at least twice a year which routinely include discussions on the level of complaints received by the Company.

Weather

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on (a) the number of monitoring stations which recorded the reported temperature of 36.7 degrees Celsius on 1 July 2015 and (b) for how long each such monitoring station recorded that temperature that day.

Anna Soubry: The maximum temperature reported by the Met Office’s network of UK weather stations on 1 July 2015 was 36.7 degrees Celsius, which was recorded at Heathrow airport. The maximum temperature was recorded at 1413 GMT, with lower temperatures recorded at minute intervals either side of that time. This pattern is in line with the natural fluctuation of temperature and consistent with maximum temperature readings recorded by the Met Office in general.

Weather

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the number of sources from which data was gathered by the Meteorological Office to demonstrate that 1 July 2015 was the hottest July day recorded in the UK.

Anna Soubry: The Met Office used temperature data from its network of UK weather stations, together with historical temperature records it holds dating back to 1853, to demonstrate that 1 July 2015 was the hottest July day recorded in the UK.These sources show that temperatures in excess of 35 °C were recorded at a handful of weather stations in London and the south east on 1 July 2015, including 36.7 °C at Heathrow airport, the highest temperature recorded by the Met Office on a July day. Temperatures also exceeded 30 °C across the Midlands, East Anglia and parts of north-west and north-east England. In these areas July temperature records were also broken at a number of weather stations with long running records.

Postal Services: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the privatisation of Royal Mail on (a) residential properties and (b) businesses in Scotland.

George Freeman: Royal Mail was privatised in October 2013. Regardless of ownership, Royal Mail as the designated Universal Service Provider for the United Kingdom is required to deliver the universal postal service in accordance with minimum requirements set by Parliament and quality of service standards set by Ofcom, the postal services regulator. Royal Mail publishes reports on its quality of service each quarter on its website. Ofcom closely monitors Royal Mail’s quality of service to ensure that service standards are maintained throughout the country.

Arms Trade: Israel

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what military hardware and components the UK has sold to Israel in each of the last two years.

Anna Soubry: The Export Control Organisation (ECO) only holds data on licences issued, refused or revoked that fall within strategic export controls. They are available to view on the GOV.UK website.

Arms Trade: Israel

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what military hardware and components the UK has imported from Israel in each of the last two years.

Anna Soubry: Firearms, firearms component parts and ammunition are the only items of military equipment subject to import licensing controls. In 2013, BIS Import Licensing Branch issued 5 import licences for imports from Israel of 250 firearms and 70 firearms component parts. In 2014, BIS Import Licensing Branch issued 10 import licences for imports from Israel of 240 firearms and 2760 firearms component parts.

Arms Trade: Israel

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many arms export licences have been issued for exports to Israel in each of the last two years.

Anna Soubry: Information on arms export licences are published in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. They are available to view at GOV.UK.

Arms Trade: Israel

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will review his Department's policy on arms export licence agreements with Israel.

Anna Soubry: The Government has conducted a review of export licensing policy for Israel, the outcome of which was announced on 14 July 2014 on the GOV.UK website.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the statutory requirements are for local enterprise partnerships on the transparency of their operations and responsibilities; and what guidance he has issued on those requirements.

Anna Soubry: Local Enterprise Partnerships are not public bodies – they are independent and voluntary partnerships between local authorities, businesses and other bodies. As such, there are no statutory requirements placed upon them. Government has, however, set out very clear standards on transparency in the “Local Enterprise Partnerships Assurance Framework”, published in December 2014. Each Local Enterprise Partnership has prepared their own local assurance framework verified by their accountable local authority, setting out how they will operate and take decisions in a way which is consistent with the standards set out in the national assurance framework.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase the transparency of the operations of local enterprise partnerships.

Anna Soubry: The Government has set out very clear standards on transparency in the “Local Enterprise Partnerships Assurance Framework”, published in December 2014. Each Local Enterprise Partnership has prepared its own local assurance framework verified by its accountable local authority, setting out how it will operate and take decisions in a way which is consistent with the standards set out in the national assurance framework. We will continue to work with Local Enterprise Partnerships to ensure that basic standards around transparency and value for money are upheld. However it is important that accountability for this rests with the Local Enterprise Partnership and its accountable local authority.

New Businesses: Government Assistance

Roger Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to enhance support for opportunity entrepreneurs to set up their own businesses.

Anna Soubry: We continue to work hard to maintain the UK as the best place in Europe for people to set up and grow their own business.Over 30,000 people have benefitted from over £155 million worth of Start-Up Loans and expert business advice provided by the Start Up Loans Company. Around 70,000 unemployed people have set up their own businesses with the help of the New Enterprise Allowance scheme. And the Business Support Helpline provides free expert advice to help people to start and grow their own business.We are increasing the annual Employment Allowance from £2,000 to £3,000 from April 2016 which will make it easier for people setting up a new business to take on their first employee. And we are committed to cutting a further £10 billion of red tape which will make life easier for all businesses.The Devolved Administrations provide their own tailored business support schemes. We work closely with them to share experiences and make sure start-up businesses get the support they need.

European Fund for Strategic Investments

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proposals his Department have put forward for projects under the EU Fund for Strategic Investments.

Anna Soubry: The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) is used to support projects that bear a higher risk than most of the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) lending activities. The EIB is working directly with applicants and will be assessing project proposals through its normal processes, to establish which projects are most appropriate for support under EFSI. EFSI does not require applicants to submit proposals through Government Departments.

Department for International Development

Central African Republic: Females

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to support women's rights and help victims of sexual and gender-based violence in the Central African Republic.

Grant Shapps: DFID is committed to addressing the needs of vulnerable women and girls in CAR and has supported several agencies to provide comprehensive care as well as protection packages since the onset of the crisis in 2013. The overall UK response has included agencies who are able to provide specialised services to victims of gender-based violence. This includes in 2015 our programmes totalling £13.2million with the International Committee of the Red-Cross (ICRC), the Common Humanitarian Fund and three NGO consortia which provide: psycho-social care to survivors; activities to reduce the risk of gender-based violence; and access to healthcare.

Infectious Diseases

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to implement the commitment in the June 2015 G7 Leaders' declaration to invest in the prevention and control of neglected tropical diseases.

Grant Shapps: The UK is at the forefront of the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). At the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases in 2012 the UK committed an additional £195million to combat these diseases. We support programmes protecting millions of the poorest from a range of NTDs. We also support research into new drugs and diagnostics to combat NTDs. There remains a significant funding gap for NTDs. The UK is meeting our commitments. Others need to do more to support countries to implement programmes to prevent and treat NTDs.

Central African Republic: Economic Situation

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of her Department's expenditure in the Central African Republic on that country's economic prospects.

Grant Shapps: DFID officials have conducted quarterly visits to the Central African Republic throughout 2014 and 2015 to assess the impact of our programmes. Annual Reviews of progress are available on DFID’s Development Tracker at http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/projects/GB-1-204426/documents.  DFID is committed to supporting economic recovery initiatives in CAR. The conflict that has affected CAR since 2013 has had a severe impact on agriculture, which represents almost 60% of the country’s economy. The UK has provided £27million since 2013 to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Common Humanitarian Fund and NGOs to provide urgent humanitarian aid as well as agricultural inputs and technical training to CAR farmers, and to facilitate cattle vaccination campaigns to support traditional herders. In 2015, UK funding will support the livelihoods of more than 170,000 people in CAR.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the status is of her Department's Framework on Health Systems Strengthening; what the timeline is for its publication; and how civil society will be consulted during its development.

Grant Shapps: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 July 2015 to Question 7076.

International Assistance

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Grant Shapps: A full statement of progress on each of the goals and targets has been published in DFID’s Annual Report and Accounts 2014 to 2015.

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the eradication of polio.

Grant Shapps: The UK is fully committed to the global eradication of polio. The Secretary of State for International Development makes the most of opportunities to raise awareness of polio eradication efforts and, wherever appropriate, discusses polio with her international counterparts. For example, last year the Secretary of State for International Development made a key note speech at Rotary International with representatives from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Indonesia, along with key polio campaigners and global health bodies. The UK continues to be a strong supporter of global polio eradication efforts. In 2013, the UK committed £300 million over six years to polio eradication, which will help vaccinate up to 360 million children. The UK actively participates in the global Polio Oversight Board, helping to ensure a strong focus on results and achieving eradication. We are very close to making polio the second human disease in history to be wiped out, and it is crucial to maintain international momentum

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of how many people are at risk of death arising from the current conflict in Yemen; and what steps she is taking to protect such people.

Mr Desmond Swayne: As a result of the crisis, the UN estimate that 21 million Yemenis (more than 80% of the population) are in need of humanitarian assistance. Of those, over 6 million people are facing severe shortages of food and 1.6 million women and children are suffering from acute malnutrition. DFID has allocated £55 million to support humanitarian response in Yemen which will provide emergency shelter, healthcare, water and food assistance, as well as supporting UN work to co-ordinate the humanitarian response.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the economic effects of the conflict in Yemen; and what steps she is taking to help people affected by that conflict.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast that Yemen’s economy will contract by 2.2% in 2015 and that Yemen’s debt has risen to over 50% of GDP. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), average wheat flour prices in July are 34% higher than their pre-crisis levels, whilst diesel prices are up 427% over the same period.  DFID has allocated £55 million to support humanitarian response in Yemen which will provide emergency shelter, healthcare, water and food assistance, as well as supporting UN work to co-ordinate the humanitarian response.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has allocated to the UN humanitarian appeal for Yemen; and what information her Department holds on how much aid has been allocated by other countries.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has allocated £55 million for humanitarian response in Yemen which is providing emergency shelter, healthcare, water and food assistance, as well as supporting UN work to co-ordinate the humanitarian response. Of that, DFID has allocated almost £40 million towards the UN 2015 Humanitarian Appeal.  Full details of all pledges to the UN Appeal can be found on the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Financial Tracking Service website (https://fts.unocha.org/pageloader.aspx?page=emerg-emergencyDetails&appealID=1087).

Developing Countries: Poliomyelitis

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to encourage other countries to donate to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Grant Shapps: The UK is a strong supporter of global polio eradication efforts. As one of the top three donors to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the UK leads by example. In 2013, the UK committed £300 million over six years to polio eradication, which will help vaccinate up to 360 million children. The UK will continue to encourage countries to donate to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to ensure that we have the required funding to successfully eradicate the disease before 2019. As a lead donor, the UK actively participates in the global Polio Oversight Board, helping to ensure cost-effective use of funds and a strong focus on results.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information her Department holds on how many people have been displaced by the coalition bombing of Saada province in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: We do not hold information on how many people have been displaced by coalition bombing of Sa’ada province. As of the 6 July, the UN estimates that there are just over 23,000 people displaced in Sa’ada Governorate and nearly 1.3 million people have been displaced within Yemen overall since the crisis began in March.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that donors' funds provided to UN and other non-governmental humanitarian agencies for use in Yemen will be delivered impartially to civilians in that country based on established humanitarian principles without political interference.

Mr Desmond Swayne: All agencies supported by the UK are humanitarian organisations which have robust systems in place, to ensure that UK aid follows humanitarian principles and reaches those in need.

Department for Education

Languages: Qualifications

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were entered into (a) GCSE and (b) A-levels in (i) Turkish, (ii) modern Greek, (iii) Spanish, (iv) French and (v) German in the last five academic years.

Nick Gibb: The requested information is provided in the table below. The information for Spanish, French and German is published in the ‘GCSE and equivalent results in England’[1] statistical first releases (SFRs) and the A level and other level 3 equivalents SFR[2] for the years[3] required:YearGCSE entries in selected modern foreign languagesTurkishModern GreekSpanishFrenchGerman2009/101,11635758,230160,59865,8222010/111,20733958,681141,74958,2992011/121,27730863,345135,54754,7932012/131,32636682,733161,82160,3202013/141,53546687,554160,95358,521Source: Key Stage 4 attainment dataYearA-levels entries in selected modern foreign languagesTurkishModern GreekSpanishFrenchGerman2009/10308906,56412,3245,0552010/11326696,39811,4904,5542011/12342716,19710,8714,2082012/13393776,5169,8783,7742013/14407986,6179,0783,716Source: Key Stage 5 attainment data  [1] www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4[2] www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-attainment-at-19-years[3] Data for all years is final.

Languages: Education

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has received from (a) schools, (b) community groups and (c) other organisations on the future of examinations in (i) Turkish, (ii) modern Greek and (iii) other community languages.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will launch an immediate consultation into securing the future of examinations in (a) Turkish, (b) modern Greek and (c) other community languages.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department (a) has made and (b) plans to make of the benefits of pupils learning (i) Turkish, (ii) modern Greek and (iii) other community languages.

Nick Gibb: I have recently met representatives of communities and schools in which these languages are spoken, to hear their concerns and consider how we can work with the awarding organisations and Ofqual to maintain a range of languages at GCSE and A level, including Turkish, modern Greek and other languages.   The number of pupils studying for a modern language GCSE has increased by 20% since 2010 due to the introduction of the English Baccalaureate. Studying a foreign language provides an opening to other cultures, fosters pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. It also equips pupils to study and work in other countries. There are considerable benefits to learning a second language and the government is keen to see the range of languages at GCSE and A level preserved. The Department for Education does not promote the teaching of one foreign language over another and has not made an assessment of the benefits of pupils learning Turkish, modern Greek or other community languages.   The department is currently working with awarding organisations and Ofqual to consider how best to enable as wide a range of languages as possible to be maintained at GCSE and A level. The government has been clear that it wants to see all pupils provided with the opportunity to take a core set of academic subjects, including modern foreign languages.   The Secretary of State wrote to exam boards in April 2015 to express her concern about awarding organisations’ decision to stop awarding qualifications in some languages, and to ask those organisations to work with Ofqual on the future of these qualifications. We are actively exploring the best approach, in close discussion with those organisations, and in consultation with community representatives.

Schools: Admissions

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure pupils' names are not removed from school admission registers without an adequate explanation of the child's whereabouts.

Nick Gibb: As recently announced, we are taking immediate steps to strengthen the regulations about the information schools must collect when a pupil is taken off the admissions register.

Schools: Standards

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what benchmarks are used to compare attainment in UK schools and the schools of comparable countries.

Nick Gibb: England participates in three research studies that enable international benchmarking of the performance of our pupils against the performance of their peers in other countries:   The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which compares the mathematics, science and reading competence of 15-year-olds across participating countries. Further information can be found online at: www.oecd.org/pisa/ The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which compares the mathematics and science abilities of pupils in year 5 and year 9 in England with their peers in comparable grades in participating countries. More information can be found online at: www.iea.nl/timss_2015.html   The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), which compares the reading ability of pupils in year 5 in England with their peers in comparable grades in participating countries. This is available online at: www.iea.nl/pirls_2016.html  Northern Ireland also participates in each of these three studies, and all four UK countries participate in the OECD’s PISA study.In England and Wales, schools can also access the OECD’s PISA-based test for schools, which provides schools with a tool to benchmark the performance of their 15-year-old pupils within and beyond local and national borders, and is available online at: www.oecd.org/pisa/aboutpisa/pisa-based-test-for-schools.htm

Primary Education: Assessments

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary and infant schools have signed up to (a) the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring, Durham University, (b) Early Excellence and (c) the National Foundation for Educational Research for provision of reception baseline assessment; how many primary or infant schools signed up to a provider which was unsuccessful in gaining approval as providers of such assessments; and how many primary and infant schools have not signed up to any provider.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not have final numbers of primary and infant schools signing up for the reception baseline. Schools are still able to sign up to their preferred choice from the list of three approved reception baselines ahead of the new academic year starting in September.

Schools: VDUs

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will introduce lessons on managing the risk of injuries related to digital screen use to school curriculums.

Nick Gibb: The national curriculum sets out the essential skills and knowledge that children must be taught at school. Schools have the freedom to teach subjects or topics beyond the national curriculum to ensure that their pupils receive a rounded education. Using technology safely is covered at each key stage in the computing curriculum, which is compulsory for all pupils aged 5-16 in maintained schools. The programmes of study for the national curriculum in computing are published online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-computing-programmes-of-study

Schools: VDUs

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many legal cases are being brought against schools in the UK related to injuries caused by digital screen use.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education is not aware of any legal cases that have been brought, or are in the process of being brought, against schools in the UK in relation to injuries caused by digital screen use.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many days of absence were reported to her Department on grounds of musculoskeletal injury in the (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15 school year.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not hold information on absences resulting from musculoskeletal injury.

Teachers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on introducing chartered teacher status within the education profession; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The government has no plans to introduce Chartered Teacher status. We are committed to supporting the work to establish a College of Teaching, an independent professional body for teachers. A consortium of education organisations is working to establish the College, and is considering whether the College could award Chartered Teacher status to members who have completed a programme of professional development. However, such operational decisions are the responsibility of the independent organisation itself, and not for the government to determine.

Teachers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve skills within the teaching profession; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The government is improving the capacity for schools to take the lead in training and developing their teachers through the national network of Teaching School Alliances. This network is leading collaboration between schools and helping to make professional development more effective, which in turn is helping teachers to improve.   The government expects teachers’ professional development to be increasingly led by schools and teachers. Schools and headteachers are best placed to determine which development activities will be most beneficial for their schools. To help them do this, the government has established an independent Teachers’ Professional Development Expert Group – chaired by David Weston, Chief Executive of the Teacher Development Trust – to develop a new standard for teachers’ professional development. The new standard will complement the existing ‘Teachers’ Standards’, and help teachers and schools to understand what makes professional development most effective.

Headteachers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the leadership skills of head teachers; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: As part of our programme to develop a school-led system, the government supports the development of excellent school leadership, together with high-quality teaching. Professional development for schools leaders, to support and develop excellent leadership, is therefore important.   The National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) enables headteachers to develop their skills in areas such as leading and improving teaching, leading an effective school and leading change for improvement. A range of short programmes are also available to headteachers to support their development, either through school-led providers of the NPQH or through self-study modules available via the National Archives located within the GOV.uk website.   The National College for Teaching and Leadership recently piloted a Multi-Academy Trust Leadership Programme. This had a heavy emphasis on high-level business and strategic finance skills in recognition of the fact that the need for leadership and business skills varies considerably between leading a single school, and running a chain of five or more schools.   A review of headteacher standards, chaired by Dame Dana Ross-Wawrzynski, was launched by the Department for Education on 17 April 2014. It brought together a group of respected professionals, including headteachers, to create new standards for the sector. The standards set out the behaviour, qualities and knowledge expected of today’s headteachers. The new National Standards of Excellence for Headteachers were published in January 2015 and are available online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-standards-of-excellence-for-headteachers   System leaders also provide support for improving the leadership skills of headteachers. For example, ‘local leaders of education’ work outside their own school, providing support to another headteacher and their school. The two headteachers work together to plan and implement improvements.

Gifted Children: Copeland

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in Copeland constituency have been identified as gifted and talented in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The table below shows the number of pupils identified as gifted and talented in the Copeland constituency for the years in which data is available. The data was not collected until 2007 and has not been collected since 2011. YearNumber of Gifted & Talented PupilsTotal Pupils in ConstituencyPercentage Gifted & Talented20071,11412,8388.720081,11212,1879.120091,03511,9188.720101,00311,4618.820111,04711,1169.4

GCSE

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals achieved five GCSEs at A* to C including English and mathematics in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Information is not published at Parliamentary constituency level. The remaining information requested is published in Table 5 of the ‘GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics: 2014’ statistical first release. [1]  [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2014

GCSE

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupils achieved five GCSEs at A* to C including English and mathematics in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Information is not published at Parliamentary constituency level. The remaining information requested is published in Table 16 of the ‘Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2013 to 2014’ statistical first release. [1]  [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2013-to-2014

Classroom Assistants: East Midlands

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teaching assistants there were in schools in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The requested information on the number of full-time equivalent teaching assistants in state-funded schools is in the table below: Full-time equivalent teaching assistants in state-funded schools for Ashfield parliamentary constituency, Nottinghamshire local authority and East Midlands region: November 2010 to 2014.(thousands)20102011201220132014Ashfield0.40.50.50.50.5Nottinghamshire2.83.03.13.33.4East Midlands14.819.119.720.821.6 Source: School Workforce Census.   Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

GCSE

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools and academies in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England did not meet the standard of 60 per cent of pupils achieving five GCSEs at A* to C including English and mathematics, and also had a below median score for the proportion of students making expected progress, in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15.

Nick Gibb: Information is not published at Parliamentary constituency level. The remaining information requested can be derived from published key stage 4 school performance tables data for 2010 to 2014. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]  [1] www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/archive/schools_10/england.shtml[2] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2011/download_data.html[3] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2012/download_data.html[4] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2013/download_data.html[5] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html

Schools: Playing Fields

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much revenue has accrued to the public purse through the sale of sports fields in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Edward Timpson: This government will only give local authorities and schools permission to dispose of school playing fields if the sports and curriculum needs of the school can continue to be met. All proceeds of any sales must be put back into improving sports or educational facilities.   It is not the government or the department that instigates the disposal of school playing fields. It is the schools themselves and their local authorities that propose to convert these often surplus or unused fields to invest in school sport or education.   Details of school playing field sales are not held centrally. Schools and local authorities only need to seek consent from the department to dispose of a school playing field. Disposal includes leasing to a third party provider.

Schools: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the schools and academies assessed by Ofsted in (a) Ashfield and (b) Nottinghamshire in each of the last five years were rated as (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) requiring improvement and (iv) inadequate.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member with the information requested. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House library.

Schools: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the current status is of schools placed in special measures in (a) Copeland constituency and (b) Cumbria.

Edward Timpson: As of 20 July, there are six schools in Special Measures in Cumbria. Of these:   • Five are local authority maintained, of which three are currently in the process of becoming sponsored academies; • One is currently a sponsored academy.   There are no schools currently in Special Measures in Copeland.

GCSE: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools rated outstanding or good in (a) Ashfield and (b) Nottinghamshire (i) did not meet the 60 per cent standard pupils achieving five GCSEs at A* to C including English and mathematics and (ii) had a below median score for the proportion of students achieving expected progress in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Information is not published at Parliamentary constituency level. The information requested can be derived from published key stage 4 school performance tables data for 2010 to 2014 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] and Ofsted data. [6]  [1] www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/archive/schools_10/england.shtml[2] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2011/download_data.html[3] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2012/download_data.html[4] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2013/download_data.html[5] File labelled KS4 XLS files at: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html[6] File labelled ‘Inspection data for open maintained schools at 31 August 2014 (provisional)’ at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/maintained-schools-and-academies-inspections-and-outcomes-sep-2013-to-aug-2014

Carers: Young People

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to (a) identify and (b) support young carers.

Edward Timpson: We have changed the law to improve how young carers and their families are identified and supported. Changes introduced through the Children and Families Act 2014 consolidate and simplify the legislation relating to young carers’ assessments, making rights and duties clearer to both young people and practitioners. They extend the right to an assessment of needs to all young carers, regardless of who they care for or what type of care they provide. They make it clear to local authorities that they must carry out an assessment of a young carer’s needs for support on request or on the appearance of need. These new duties came into effect in April 2015. We know that schools play a very important part in identifying pupils who are young carers and in offering them appropriate support. The Department for Educaton has worked with the Children’s Society and the Carers Trust since 2011 to share existing tools and good practice. Since 2011 we have provided grant funding and contracts worth over £3.4m to help support schools and local authorities in the identification and support of young carers. This includes over £500,000 we are providing to Carers Trust in 2015-16 to work with local authorities to develop models for identification, assessment and support services which specifically address the needs of young carers. DfE are also providing over £110,000 of grant-funding to Suffolk Family Carers to run a local project which aims to raise awareness of young carers amongst teachers, non-teaching staff and school nurses, supporting Suffolk County Council’s strategy on young carers. The Department of Health is also training school nurses to be champions for young carers. They will speak up on their behalf and help head teachers and governors decide how best to support them at school. I am also familiar with and welcome two initiatives led by the voluntary sector. The Big Lottery Fund are financing The Children’s Society’s “Young Carers in Focus” programme and The Queen’s Trust, too, are funding the Carers Trust to develop and test best practice on young carer support in schools. We are also grateful to the National Governors’ Association and Ofsted for their help in raising awareness of the impact of caring on school attendance and attainment and sharing resources amongst governors and inspectors.   We will continue to encourage schools to use the resources that are already freely available to them and to make links to their local young carers support groups. We recognise that consistent identification of young carers remains challenging. DfE has commissioned a research study into the lives of young carers in England which aims to provide firmer information on the numbers and needs of young carers and their families. The research will be completed in spring 2016.

Ministry of Justice

European Convention on Human Rights

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the Government's policy is on EU accession to the European Convention of Human Rights.

Dominic Raab: The European Court of Justice's Opinion 2/13 has serious implications for work on the EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. We remain concerned that accession risks undermining our domestic human rights arrangements and creating legal uncertainty. We will work to mitigate those risks.

Information Commissioner

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the implications for his policies are of the paper prepared for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) Management Board on 27 April 2015 on the Registration fee strategy of the ICO.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Justice and the Information Commissioner’s Office are looking at the current funding model as part of negotiations on the proposed EU Data Protection Regulation.

Insolvency: Conditional Fee Agreements

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to consult the insolvency profession on  provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on reform of conditional fee agreements for insolvency proceedings.

Dominic Raab: The Government is taking forward the Coalition Government’s commitment to review this issue and it will set out further details later in the year. As part of that process, the Government will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders, including Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the Insolvency Service and insolvency practitioners and their representatives.

Prime Minister

Syria: Armed Conflict

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Prime Minister, when he was first informed of the involvement of British military personnel in military actions in Syria after the vote against military action in Syria on 30 August 2013.

Mr David Cameron: It is a long-standing policy of the government, and previous governments going back for over half a century, to embed military personnel in a whole range of countries. I was aware that the Defence Secretary authorised the first embed with US forces in Syria in the autumn of last year.

Ministry of Defence

Mediterranean Sea: Refugees

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many refugees the Royal Navy has rescued in the Mediterranean (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of all those rescued.

Penny Mordaunt: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 July 2015.The correct answer should have been:

To date, the Royal Navy has rescued 4,752 4,747 persons under its Search and Rescue mission in the Mediterranean. The Royal Navy does not record whether a rescued person is a refugee or an economic migrant; this is the responsibility of the receiving nation (in this instance, Italy). The Ministry of Defence does not hold overall statistics of all those rescued at sea by other nations.

Penny Mordaunt: To date, the Royal Navy has rescued 4,752 4,747 persons under its Search and Rescue mission in the Mediterranean. The Royal Navy does not record whether a rescued person is a refugee or an economic migrant; this is the responsibility of the receiving nation (in this instance, Italy). The Ministry of Defence does not hold overall statistics of all those rescued at sea by other nations.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's Chart of Account for 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Michael Fallon: A copy of the 2014-15 Chart of Account Manual will be placed in the Library of the House. I expect the 2015-16 Chart of Account Manual to be available within the next two months and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

Mediterranean Sea: Refugees

Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many migrants his Department has rescued from the Mediterranean sea each week since (a) HMS Bulwark and (b) HMS Enterprise commenced operations in that area.

Penny Mordaunt: The total number of migrants rescued each week by HMS BULWARK since she commenced search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean in May 2015 are:Week commencingNumber of Migrants rescued04-May 201510011-May 201561718-May 2015025-May 201573901-June 20151,44908-June 2015015-June 201591522-June 201592729-June 20150Total4,747The figure of 4,747 corrects the figure of 4,752 given in the answer I gave on 13 July 2015 to Question 6011 to the hon. Member for Kettering (Philip Hollobone). This was due to a counting error.HMS ENTERPRISE has not rescued any migrants since deploying to the Mediterranean to support the Common Security Defence Policy operation EUNAVFOR Med.

Defence

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to develop the UK's technological edge in military capabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: This Government is committed to a 1% increase above inflation in the equipment budget until the end of this Parliament, investing over £160 billion in the next decade. This includes investing in new joint strike fighter jets, surveillance aircraft, hunter killer submarines, two aircraft carriers and the most advanced armoured vehicles. The Ministry of Defence also invests over £400 million annually in research to access cutting-edge technologies.

Research: Expenditure

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on (a) intermural and (b) extramural research in each financial year between 2010-11 and 2014-15.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information on intramural and extramural expenditure for financial years (FY) between 2010-11 to 2013-14 (inclusive of non-recoverable VAT at current prices) is shown below. Expenditure for financial year 2014-15 is currently being compiled and will be available later this year following clearance by the Office of National Statistics. ResearchFY 2010-11(£ million)FY 2011-12(£ million)FY 2012-13(£ million)FY 2013-14(£million)Gross Expenditure on Research575553565586Of which: Intramural163106101111Extramural412447464475Receipts41000Allocated: Intramurally40000Extramurally1000MOD expenditure on Research534553565586

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 2.103 of the Summer Budget 2015, what additional training will be made available to staff of his Department to deal with cases in which a third child was conceived as a result of rape.

Priti Patel: We will work with relevant stakeholders to help us deliver this policy intent and will ensure that appropriate training and guidance for staff is in place.

Children: Maintenance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve the collection of child maintenance; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: Children have better outcomes when parents work together following a separation. As part of the child maintenance reforms introduced in 2012, everyone wishing to make an application to the statutory scheme is required to contact the Child Maintenance Options Service, which will provide information on the full range of options available to separating parents including where to find support to make their own, effective family based arrangements. Those parents who choose to use the 2012 scheme will benefit from a faster and simpler way of working out maintenance, with information on earnings collected direct from HMRC, and a self-service portal to enable parents to track payments. In the event of non-compliance the Department has a wide range of effective powers to collect child maintenance, including taking deductions direct from earnings and bank accounts. Those who persistently fail to pay may be committed to prison. The latest published figures are continuing to increase and are, at present, showing 88% of cases on the 1993 and 2003 schemes and 88% of case groups on the 2012 scheme contributing towards their current maintenance liability, their highest position to date.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

BBC

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department made of projected BBC expenditure in each of the next years before the Summer Budget 2015.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Forecasts of projected BBC expenditure, before the Summer Budget 2015, were made in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published in March 2015. It can be found using the following link:http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/March2015EFO_18-03-webv1.pdf

Museum of London

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 1.325 of the Summer Budget 2015, whether the Government plans to provide financial support for the move of the Museum of London.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Museum of London's aspiration to move to a new site was supported by the Government at the Summer Budget. However, at this stage there are no plans to provide direct Government funding.

Internet: Advertising

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether regulations are in place on the length and frequency of internet advertising; and whether Ofcom or his Department has had discussions with the Advertising Standards Authority on the regulation of such advertising.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Advertising online is already subject to t​he UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing ​which is administered robustly by theAdvertising Standards Authority (ASA)​.The rules (​​which apply across media) require that online ads do not contain anything that is likely to be misleading, harmful or offensive and that they​ a​re prepared in a socially responsible way.​ ​The rules place a particular emphasis on protecting children from inappropriate or harmful content. The ASA’s online remit covers paid for search results, pop-up​s​, banner ads​ ​as well as (since March 2011)​ ​extending to cover marketing claims that appear on websites.The Code also applies to marketing ​on​ social media such as via Twitter,​ ​YouTube or on Facebook pages. There are no rules regulating the length or frequency of internet advertising and the ASA and the Committee of Advertising Practice do not have plans to introduce any​.​

Department for Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing: Construction

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) starting and (b) completion rates for affordable housing were in (i) Bristol, (ii) the South West and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Statistics on house building starts and completions by tenure in each local authority district are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link:http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

Housing: Construction

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) starting and (b) completion rates for housing were in (i) Bristol, (ii) the South West and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Statistics on house building starts and completions in England and in each local authority district, including Bristol, are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link: http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building The house building statistics exclude other sources of housing supply such as conversions.

Housing: Construction

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to section 9.10 of Fixing the foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, published on 10 July 2015, Cm 9098, what steps he plans to take to ensure that there is adequate consultation with local people when imposing local plans on behalf of local authorities.

Brandon Lewis: Our Ministerial Statement of 21 July, HCWS172, sets out our commitment to accelerate Local Plan production. We are clear that any intervention will not compromise effective comunity engagement.

HM Treasury

Revenue and Customs

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will conduct a public consultation on the HM Revenue and Customs Building our Future programme.

Mr David Gauke: Building our Future is an internal communications exercise in which HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is having a conversation with its workforce about the future of the department, and how it can change its ways of working to meet customer needs and maximise tax compliance.   HMRC regularly engages with its stakeholders on the ways it is changing, which include investing in new digital services and data analysis to improve the customer experience and reduce tax error and fraud.   Its annual report for 2014-15 has just been published showing that HMRC has brought in record revenues of £517.7 billion last year, and sets out the department’s future development plans.

Welfare Tax Credits

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) child tax credits, (b) working tax credit reductions, (c) working tax credit restrictions and (d) restriction of working tax credit to two children with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) child tax credits, (b) working tax credit reductions, (c) working tax credit restrictions and (d) restriction of working tax credit to two children with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the compatibility of changes to (a) child tax credits, (b) working tax credit reductions, (c) working tax credit restrictions and (d) restriction of working tax credit to two children with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Damian Hinds: Ministers had regard to all relevant international obligations when formulating the welfare policies announced at the Budget and consider that these obligations have been complied with.

Welfare Tax Credits

Owen Thompson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people previously in receipt of tax credits will no longer receive them following changes covered in the Summer Budget 2015.

Damian Hinds: The Government is making changes to tax credits and Universal Credit which will help put welfare spending on a more sustainable path. The Government wants to move from a low wage, high tax, and high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, and lower welfare society. That means more emphasis on supporting hardworking families on low incomes by reducing income tax through increases in the personal allowance and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.   The Government is focusing the tax credit system on those who need it most. Prior to 2010, 9 out of 10 families with children were eligible for tax credits and reforms in the previous Parliament reduced this to 6 out of 10. The measures announced in Summer Budget 2015 will result in 5 out of 10 families with children being eligible for tax credits support.   HMRC publishes information on the number of families receiving tax credits. The most recent available data is for 2013/14 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-and-working-tax-credits-statistics-finalised-annual-awards-2013-to-2014.   This information can be found in Table 1.1.

Personal Income

Greg Mulholland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Table 1.8 of the Summer Budget 2015, which Office for Budget Responsibility inflation forecast was used to calculate the data in that table.

Harriett Baldwin: Table 1.8 in the Summer Budget 2015 used OBR CPI forecasts as the measure of inflation.

Balance of Payments

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce the current account deficit; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: Since 2010 UKTI has more than doubled the number of businesses it helps on an annual basis, whilst UKEF has provided £14.5bn of support for exports since 2010-11.The government’s productivity plan set out further steps to build stronger trading links with emerging markets, especially China, India and Brazil, and to mobilise the whole of government behind exporting, working alongside a more effective UKTI and better export finance. The government’s commitment to eliminate the budget deficit, combined with monetary activism, will also support a narrowing of the current account deficit.

Business: Loans

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve competition in small and medium-sized enterprise bank lending; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government has driven a wide ranging programme of reforms to help Small and Medium Sized Enterprises to gain access to finance and to support competition in the SME lending market.   The Government introduced the Current Account Switch Service which is a free-to-use service for customers that makes it easier, quicker and more reliable for customers to switch banks. At Budget 2015 the scheme was extended to include 99% of SMEs.   This year the Government will lay final legislation requiring major UK banks both to share SME credit information with other lenders and to offer to share the details of SMEs rejected for a loan with online platforms that can match them to alternative finance providers. Alongside these reforms, the British Business Bank is increasing and diversifying the supply of finance available to SMEs, and aims to facilitate up to £10 billion of finance by 2019.

Banks: Licensing

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which firms have relinquished a banking licence in the last 30 years.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which firms have been granted a banking licence since April 1985.

Harriett Baldwin: This is a matter for the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which is operationally independent from Government.   The question has been passed on to the PRA. The PRA will reply directly to the Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

NHS: Fees and Charges

Owen Thompson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the effect on the (a) NHS budget and (b) Barnett formula of reductions in the eligibility criteria for the NHS tax credit exemption certificate.

Damian Hinds: There have been no changes to the eligibility criteria to an NHS Tax Credit Exemption certificate.

Infrastructure: Capital Investment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve the UK's attractiveness to private investment in infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: The government has sought to make private investment in infrastructure more attractive through a number of initiatives.   The government established the UK Guarantees Scheme (UKGS) in 2012 to help infrastructure projects access capital market finance by enabling them to issue government-backed bonds. A total of £1.7bn has been guaranteed to date, supporting 7 projects with a combined capital value of approximately £4bn.   Platforms such as the Insurers’ Infrastructure Investment Forum and the Pensions Infrastructure Platform have been set up to maximise institutional investment in infrastructure. In 2013, a group of six insurers agreed to aim to invest £25bn in UK infrastructure over 5 years – with over £5bn already invested they are on track to meet this goal.   The government’s efforts to attract private investment in infrastructure were recognised in Nabarro LLP’s Infrastructure Index, which assessed the UK as number one in the world for attracting investment in infrastructure.   The UK’s National Infrastructure Plan is underpinned by a pipeline of projects worth £411 billion to 2020 and beyond. 64% of these projects are funded solely by the private sector. Further information can be found in the government’s updated national infrastructure pipeline, which was published this month.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Fuel Poverty: Children

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many children were living in households classed as being in fuel poverty in (a) Bristol South constituency, (b) Bristol, (c) the South West and (d) England in each year since 2010.

Andrea Leadsom: Fuel poverty is measured at the household level rather than the individual level and detailed data on the age of household occupants is not available at the sub-regional level.The table below shows the number of fuel poor households which contain at least one child under the age of 16 in (a) England and (b) the South West, in each year since 2010.Number and proportion of fuel poor households with at least one child under 16   EnglandSouth West (000s)%(000s)%20131064451154220121101477735201110294274332010988407429Government is committed to supporting fuel poor households in line with our fuel poverty obligations. For example, the Energy Company Obligation supports around 260,000 households per year on low incomes or in low income areas with insulation and heating measures to bring their bills down. Further, the Warm Home Discount provided support to over 2 million low income households with £140 discounts on their electricity bill last winter.

Energy: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will estimate the average annual energy bill for a typical family in Ashfield constituency in each of the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom: Estimates of average energy bills by region can be derived from data in tables 2.2.4 and 2.3.4 of DECC’s publication Quarterly Energy Prices (QEP) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics .Estimates for Ashfield constituency are not available but the table below shows the average annual bill per household for the East Midlands from 2010. These estimates are based on the combined average standard electricity and gas annual bills based on fixed consumptions of 3,800kWh/year for electricity and 15,000 kWh/year for gas. The bills provided are averaged across all methods of payment and expressed in cash terms. YearAverage annual bill (£)20101,01720111,11420121,20620131,27720141,305As set out in the 2014 Prices and Bills report[1] increases in wholesale energy costs, which make up around half of a household energy bill, have been the biggest factor behind rising energy bills over recent years.We are supporting consumers by taking measures to increase competition in the market, make it quicker and easier to switch and by providing support for vulnerable consumers. Changes to social and environmental levies and a government-funded rebate, also cut £50 off the average household energy bill in 2014.[1] Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts-of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills-2014

Cabinet Office

Conditions of Employment: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed on zero hours contracts in Cumbria.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UK Statistics Reply 
(PDF Document, 197.58 KB)

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Digital communications infrastructure strategy, published on 18 March 2015, how much public sector spectrum has been released since 2010.

Mr Edward Vaizey: 62 MHz of spectrum has been already released. Ofcom expects to auction up to 190 MHz of additional spectrum at 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz in this financial year (2015/16).

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Digital communications infrastructure strategy, published on 18 March 2015, which Department will be responsible for operational management of public sector spectrum; and how the release target will be reset.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Details of how the central management of spectrum used by the public sector might best be achieved areunder discussion between Departments. The release target will be reset in the light of the Government's manifesto commitment to release more spectrum from public sector use to allow greater private sector access.

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Digital communications infrastructure strategy, published on 18 March 2015, how many full-time equivalent officials are working on reviewing the use of IPv6; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The use of IPv6 is a cross-departmental matter. As outlined in the Digital Communications Infrastructure Strategy, the government has commissioned an independent review of the use of IPv6 in the UK. We are in the final stages of this review and the outcomes will inform future policy making in this area. We intend to publish the outcome of the Review in due course.

Advertising: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2015 to Question 1710, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of internet advertising on network requirements over the current Parliament.

Mr Edward Vaizey: As this is a matter for Ofcom, I will ask Ofcom to write to the Honourable Lady with their response.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which buildings occupied by his Department are owned or part-owned privately; what the total value is of the rent paid to private landlords for the use of such buildings for official duties; and to whom such rent is paid.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport occupies one building that is owned or part-owned privately.The total rent per annum is £718,500 and is paid to Lazai Investment Ltd.

Cycling: Calderdale

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to promote cycling as a recreational activity in Calderdale.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Between 2014 and 2016, over £118,000 will have been invested by British Cycling and Calderdale council to get more people cycling in Calderdale. Calderdale is also part of the West Yorkshire Tour de France legacy, which is working with partners from sport, transport and health to get more people cycling in the local area. Further, in February 2015, the Government committed further funding to British Cycling to improve facilities in Yorkshire.

Gambling

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) high stakes gambling takes place only in (i) casinos and (ii) other highly supervised premises, (b) Fixed Odds Betting Terminals are not located in bookmakers and (c) casinos have more appropriate numbers of slot machines.

Tracey Crouch: High stakes gambling’ is a relative term and may be open to different interpretation. The Gambling Act 2005 and associated regulations establish the types and levels of gambling permitted in a range of licensed environments and the controls required to be put in place to keep that gambling fair and safe for all. Regardless of the level of stakes, the Gambling Commission requires all operators providing facilities for gambling to adhere to the licence conditions and codes of practice relevant to their activity designed to minimise harm generated by gambling. Under the 2005 Act fixed odds betting terminals are permitted in casinos and bookmakers. High street betting shops are limited to four machines per premises. The Act also set the current gaming machine entitlements for casinos. The Government recently introduced new regulations in April which ended unsupervised stakes above £50 on FOBTs in betting shops. We will want to assess the impact of these measures before we consider any further legislative options.Any discussion about changes to gaming machine entitlements in casinos would need to be accompanied by robust proposals from the industry for managing any additional risk of harm to players that may arise.

Television: Licensing

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish all correspondence he has had with the BBC on the agreement announced on 6 July 2015 that the BBC will fund the provision of television licences for those aged over 75.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Correspondence on the agreement has been published on the BBC’s website and the BBC Trust's website (here: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/tony-hall-letter-coe-sscms.pdf; http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/2015/chancellor_sos).

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the quality of DAB radio coverage in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government, BBC and commercial radio are jointly funding the long term expansion of the local DAB network across the UK with the building of 182 new digital transmitters and modifications and frequency changes at a further 49 sites by the end of September 2016. Ofcom has published detailed maps outlining the improvements to coverage in local areas across the UK. As a result of this new investment, according to Ofcom, it is expected that local DAB coverage in Wales will increase from 63% to 85.4% of households and from 46.7% to 66.3% of major roads. Separately the BBC is rolling out its national DAB network to a further 162 transmitter sites across the UK by the end of 2015. This programme will increase the coverage of its DAB network in Wales from 86% to 92% of homes.

Radio Frequencies: Sales

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much spectrum below 5GHz has been released since 2010.

Mr Edward Vaizey: 62 MHz of spectrum under 5 GHz has been already released. Ofcom expects to auction up to 190 MHz of additional spectrum at 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz in this financial year.

Internet

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of internet customers have made an active choice on filters.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he is making on steps to ensure that internet service providers are (a) meeting commitments to deliver unavoidable choice to parents on setting network level filters at home, (b) providing family-friendly wifi in public places and (c) tackling concerns about over-blocking.

Mr Edward Vaizey: This Government continues to prioritise actions to improve children's safety online. Under the auspices of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), Government meets key partners on a quarterly basis to drive and oversee progress. In the Autumn, Ofcom will report on progress made by BT, Sky, Talk Talk and Virgin to roll-out family friendly filters. These four ISPs provide internet services to around 90% of the UK's fixed-line customers. Ofcom has already delivered three reports on progress in this area, and will be delivering a final report later this year. Whilst we await Ofcom's findings, we understand from the ISPs that collectively, over 95% of customers have now made an active choice on filters, or had filters applied to their accounts. We estimate that around 90% of public wifi is provided by six providers, all of whom apply filters which block adult content and illegal child sexual abuse material by default in areas that children are likely to be unsupervised by a parent. The recently-established UKCCIS Filters Group, which evolved out of a previous group dedicated to overblocking, will keep Government informed as to progress in this area, and is continuing to look into ways to address concerns about over-blocking.

Lotteries: Exemptions

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will introduce the Exempt Lotteries Legislative Reform Order in 2015.

Tracey Crouch: I intend to lay the LRO later this year.

Digital Technology: Training

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for digital skills.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Digital skills provision in maintained schools, taught within the computing curriculum, is funded through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) which is the responsibility of the Department for Education. Public funding for digital skills in Further Education and Skills and Higher Education is the responsibility of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Department for Education and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills regularly speaks to Her Majesty’s Treasury about all aspects of funding for schools, Higher and Further Education.

Sports: Facilities

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to promote the provision of local sporting facilities for (a) women and (b) general use.

Tracey Crouch: Having safe and better sporting facilities can make a significant difference in getting more women active. Sport England invests to improve the quality and features of all types of facilities, from small local clubs to major projects. Between 2013 and 2017 its total investment in facilities will be over £300 million.Sport England’s experience has shown that the quality of changing facilities has a significant impact on women and girls’ inclination to play sport. In the last round of its Inspired Facilities fund (Round 7) Sport England invested £2.7 million to help local sports clubs upgrade and improve their changing facilities.Sport England has a statutory planning role which means it has to be consulted on all planning applications that affect playing fields.In 2012/13, 94 per cent of the applications resulted in the places where people play sport being improved or safeguarded. (Published in December 2014, these are the most recent figures available, due to the length of time individual planning processes can take to complete.)

Television: Licensing

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the BBC has undertaken that free TV licences for over-75s will continue beyond 2020.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The policy for continuation of free television licences for over-75s is set out in the published government and BBC agreement, which says that, at the BBC’s request, the BBC will take responsibility for the policy following this Parliament.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Covent Garden Market Authority

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from tenants of the New Covent Garden market Authority on that market's redevelopment in the last five years.

Rory Stewart: Defra Ministers have received various representations from New Covent Garden Market tenants in the past five years about the market redevelopment.   These have taken the form of formal correspondence and face to face meetings between the Covent Garden Tenants Association (CGTA) and the Minister, held at Defra and at New Covent Garden Market.   The representations have addressed a broad range of concerns about the plans for the redevelopment, its implementation and the role of the CGMA.

Covent Garden Market Authority

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what receipts the New Covent Garden Market Authority has received from the sale of land in the last five years; who bought the land in each such case; and for what purpose the land was sold in each such case.

Rory Stewart: There has been no sale of land by CGMA in the last five years.   However, as part of the development of the new Northern Line extension, London Underground Limited has occupied CGMA’s former office building, Covent House, under a Transport and Works order which allows them to do so on a temporary basis. CGMA has entered into a Transport and Works Agreement with London Underground Limited, conditional on the issue of a general vesting declaration to effect the sale of the land to London Underground Limited. It is anticipated this will complete in August 2015. CGMA will receive £10.4m for the sale of Covent House and the full amount will subsequently be transferred to Defra.

New Covent Garden Market

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the demolition and rebuilding of the car park in New Covent Garden Market is forecast to cost.

Rory Stewart: The existing Multi storey car park has been assessed by structural engineers from both the Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA) and by CGMA’s Private Development Partner who consider the structure to be in a satisfactory condition to be retained and refurbished rather than demolished and rebuilt. However, due to the age of the car park, additional works are required to bring the user environment and services up to current standards. As such, repairs are being carried out to the concrete decks and walls, all surfaces are being treated with specialist paint finishes, new handrails are being installed and all electrical and mechanical services including two passenger lifts are being replaced. Externally, as required by a planning condition, a green wall is being installed to half of the surface area.   The contracts to undertake the work will be let by the Private Development Partner, VSM (NCGM) Limited. Some of these contracts have yet to be finalised and as such cost information is commercially confidential and cannot be disclosed at this time.

Covent Garden Market Authority

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what expenses have been claimed by the directors of the New Covent Garden Market Authority in the last five years.

Rory Stewart: The total expenses claimed by the Board of the Covent Garden Market Authority for each of the last five years were:   2010/11 £9,394 2011/12 £11,139 2012/13 £9,791 2013/14 £5,345 2014/15 £6,451   The amounts predominantly relate to travel and accommodation expenses associated with attendance at Board and Committee meetings.

Department of Health

Parkinson's Disease: Health Services

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations has he received from (a) charities, (b) medical professionals and (c) patient groups on the detection and treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) detection and (b) treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Jane Ellison: Parkinson’s disease: Diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2006 sets out best practice for clinicians on the diagnosis treatment care and support of people with Parkinson’s disease.   The guideline highlights key symptoms of the disease including tremor, stiffness and slowness and states that patients in whom the disease is suspected should be promptly referred to a specialist with expertise is the condition. Treatments for Parkinson’s disease are largely drug based. The NICE guidance states that patient preference should be taken into account, once they have been informed of the short- and long-term benefits and drawbacks of the different types of drugs available. The guidance makes it clear that other supportive treatments, such as physiotherapy and speech and language therapy, may also be appropriate.   Whilst most patients with Parkinson’s disease can be successfully managed through routine access to primary and secondary care, NHS England commissions certain elements of specialised care, as well as specific drugs and interventions that may be needed. Specialised care providers offer multidisciplinary team support and involve a range of clinical specialities.  Regarding recent representation concerning Parkinson’s disease, in October last year, Parkinson’s Disease UK met with the then Minister of State (Norman Lamb) to discuss the arrangements for NHS Continuing Healthcare payments. Since then, our records indicate that Ministers of the Department have received less than 10 letters from charities specifically about the care and treatment of Parkinson’s disease. No letters from patient groups or medical professionals were identified.

Allergies: Health Services

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received from (a) charities, (b) medical professionals and (c) patient groups on detection and treatment of allergic diseases.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the detection and treatment of (a) food and (b) other allergies.

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of allergy related guidance including food allergy, anaphylaxis, drug allergy, bee and wasp allergy, eczema and asthma. NICE provides guidance on best practice in the diagnosis and management of disease as well as assessing specific interventions and procedures.   Whilst the vast majority of patients with allergies can be successfully managed through routine access to primary and secondary care, NHS England commissions certain elements of specialised care that may be needed. Specialised care providers offer multidisciplinary team support and involve a range of clinical specialities.   Correspondence records indicate that since the beginning of the year, Ministers of the Department have received less than five letters from allergy organisations. No letters from patient groups or medical professionals were identified.

Headaches

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of people who have suffered from migraine in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: Information concerning the number of people diagnosed as suffering from migraine on an annual basis is not collected.   The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, published in 2012, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment and support of people who suffer from headaches. The guideline includes specific information on the management of migraines, such as the prescribing of appropriate pain-relief medication.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the incidence of screening for breast cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: In England, Public Health England is working with NHS England to develop a system of performance improvement through the use of performance floors, and strengthened governance for screening. The aims of the performance floors are:   - Improving performance and equity of service over time by reducing the range of variation at a local level. - Enabling easy identification of poor performance and the setting of objectives and plans for local action, to reduce variation and improve performance.   The breast screening age extension randomisation trial began in 2008 and is investigating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of extending the programme to women aged 47-49 and 71-73. Over two million women have been randomised as part of the trial so far, and we expect that the trial to report in the early 2020s.

Obesity

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Public Health Responsibility Deal on obesity rates amongst (a) adults and (b) children.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Public Health Responsibility Deal will be part of the National Obesity Framework.

Jane Ellison: No assessment has been made of the effect of the Public Health Responsibility Deal on obesity rates amongst adults and children. Billions of calories and tonnes of sugar have been taken out of food and soft drinks, which helps people eat a healthier diet, but the challenge to industry remains.   We will put forward our plans for a childhood obesity strategy before the year end.

Medical Records

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when care.data will be rolled out nationally; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: A full evaluation of the pathfinder stage will take place and further rollout of the programme is dependent on this evaluation. It is a programme led evaluation and the timing of it is subject to the National Data Guardian’s (Dame Fiona Caldicott) assessment of the arrangements and safeguards which will precede it. NHS England anticipates it will conclude in early 2016. The evaluation will involve the care.data pathfinder practices and clinical commissioning groups.

Medical Records

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many representations he has received from (a) individuals and (b) groups (i) in favour of and (ii) against care.data in the last six months.

George Freeman: NHS England carried out an extensive listening exercise following the decision to pause the programme in February 2014. More than 3,000 people took part in over 180 local and regional meetings and events including patients, general practitioners, practice managers, patient groups and the research community. A range of views were expressed during this engagement and these have helped to shape the programme, including the addition of a phased approach to implementation starting with a pathfinder stage.

Medical Treatments

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of variations in the length of time NHS trusts take to implement NICE guidance.

George Freeman: We have made no such assessment.   Commissioners are legally required to fund treatments recommended in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals or highly specialised technology evaluations, normally within three months of NICE’s guidance being published. Other guidance from NICE is not mandatory.   We expect commissioners to take NICE’s guidance into account in their decision making. The Innovation Scorecard provides data on local level uptake of some NICE approved products over a period of time. This data can be used by local commissioners to support identification of variation in uptake of some newer products.

HIV Infection: Health Services

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department has made in developing a HIV prevention strategy; and what timetable he has set for the development of that strategy.

Jane Ellison: The Department’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England (2013) addresses HIV prevention as part of wider action to improve sexual health and modernise sexual health services. It sets out the evidence base for sexual health improvement, including for people at risk of HIV. In addition, Public Health England (PHE) is currently consulting on its Health Promotion Strategic Plan for Sexual and Reproductive Health and HIV. This will complement the Department’s Framework and PHE expect to publish their strategic plan later this year.

Medical Records

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have opted out of the care.data scheme in each of the pathfinder areas.

George Freeman: July 2015 figures covering 61% of the care.data pathfinder general practitioner (GP) practices suggest that, across those practices, 1.8% of patients have registered a type 1 objection, to their identifiable data being shared outside their GP practice for purposes other than their direct care. Some practices have higher volumes of objections than others, but the majority fall within 0.5-2.5% range.

Medical Records

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessments he has made of the deliverability of care.data during the pathfinder stage.

George Freeman: No information will be collected until Dame Fiona Caldicott, the National Patient Data Guardian, advises she is satisfied with the care.data pathfinder’s proposals and safeguards. A full evaluation of the pathfinder stage will take place before national rollout begins.

Medical Records: Publicity

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to initiate a public awareness campaign before the national rollout of care.data.

George Freeman: Pathfinder practices are planning to begin communicating with their patients in autumn 2015. Patients who are over 16, registered at a pathfinder practice, will receive a letter and booklet about information sharing and an opt-out form. Awareness raising activities are planned in each pathfinder area to complement the delivery of the letter and the decision to send patient communications will be made with each pathfinder area based on their readiness to proceed. No artificial timeframes are being imposed by the programme.

General Practitioners

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GP practices in each pathfinder area have signed up to care.data.

George Freeman: The care.data pathfinder clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are, Blackburn with Darwen, Leeds North, Leeds West, Leeds South and East, West Hampshire and Somerset.   The number of general practitioner practices who have signed up as pathfinders across West Hampshire, Somerset and Blackburn with Darwen is over 70%.   The numbers are as follows:   Blackburn with Darwen – 23 Somerset - 47 West Hampshire - 31   The three Leeds CCGs are still recruiting practices.

Obesity

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) children and (b) adults in (i) Copeland constituency, (ii) Cumbria and (iii) England are classed as (A) overweight, (B) obese and (C) morbidly obese.

Jane Ellison: Table 1 shows the prevalence of children who are classified as overweight and obese in Copeland constituency, Cumbria and England. Public Health England (PHE) does not calculate severe obesity for children. The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) data only consider children in Year 6 and Reception, rather than all children, and collects information on overweight and obese children. There is currently no universal definition of severe paediatric obesity   Table 1: Prevalence data presented as count and percentage ChildrenOverweightObeseMorbidly obeseCopeland constituencyReception - 104 (15.3%)Year 6 - 91 (13.4%)Reception – 67 (10.8%)Year 6 - 128 (20.6%)Not availableCumbriaReception - 720 (15.2%)Year 6 - 671 (14.1%)Reception 448 (10.0%)Year 6 – 869 (19.3%)Not availableEnglandReception – 76718 (13.1%)Year 6 – 84,758 (14.4%)Reception - 48748 (9.5%)Year 6 – 98,190 (19.1%)Not available Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB16070/nati-chil-meas-prog-eng-2013-2014-tab.xlsx   Table 2 below shows the prevalence of adults who are classified as overweight and obese in Copeland constituency, Cumbria and England. The data used by PHE in its Public Health Outcomes Framework are weight data for adults collected on a sample basis by Sport England, through its Active People Survey. The survey methodology determines the availability of final figures at local level. Table 2: Percentage of adults classified as overweight or obese AdultsOverweightObeseMorbidly obeseCopeland constituency47.6%28.3%Not availableCumbria44.5%23.9%Not availableEngland40.8%23.0%Not available Source: Public Health England Public Health Outcomes Framework, using Active People Survey, Sport England, 2012 data http://www.phoutcomes.info/public-health-outcomes-framework#gid/1000042/pat/6/ati/102/page/3/par/E12000002/are/E10000006/iid/90640/age/164/sex/4

Healthy Start Scheme

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential reasons for changes in the number of recipients of Healthy Start in the last year; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all those who are eligible are encouraged to apply for that benefit.

Jane Ellison: Eligibility for Healthy Start vouchers and vitamins is linked to the receipt of certain income-related benefits. The number of people claiming these benefits has decreased recently, therefore the number entitled to Healthy Start has also decreased.   Around 74% of people who are eligible to Healthy Start vouchers take up the benefit, and during 2014/15 the take up rate is remaining constant at 74%. All potential beneficiaries are contacted by the Healthy Start Issuing Unit and are invited to apply. The Department also publicises the scheme via the Healthy Start website and helpline.

Antibiotics

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merit of the production of NICE evidence summaries for new and emerging antibiotics as a means of supporting the decisions of local stewardship and medicines management committees.

Jane Ellison: The Government is determined to use the best available evidence and guidance to support the policy of improving antibiotic prescribing. To this end, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be publishing guidance this summer on systems and processes for effective antimicrobial medicine use. In addition, NICE is developing a new Quality Standard on Effective Antimicrobial Stewardship. Consultation on this new Quality Standard will begin in November 2015 with final publication scheduled for April 2016.

Action on Smoking and Health: Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2015 to Question 5566, what steps his Department took following receipt of the Freedom of Information requests in May and June 2014 on the use of grant funding by Action on Smoking and Health.

Jane Ellison: Replies to the Freedom of Information requests in May and June 2014 were sent back to the recipient with documents and information that related to the award of a Section 64 grant to Action on Smoking and Health in 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11. The Freedom of Information request related to factual information, so specific follow up action from the Department was not required.   The Department continually strives to improve the Grants application process, as part of routine business.

Action on Smoking and Health: Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in what month in each of the last 10 years a decision to award a grant under Section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to Action on Smoking and Health has been made.

Jane Ellison: The Department is only required to retain documents relating to grants for the six years following the end of the grant. The months which the grant award letters were sent to Action on Smoking and Health in the previous years are:   2008/09 - 2010/11: March 2008 2011/12: October 2011 2012/13: August 2012 2013/14: September 2013 2014/15: October 2014

Medical Treatments

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the performance of NHS trusts in implementing NICE guidance.

George Freeman: We have had no such discussions. We expect National Health Service organisations to take guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence into account in their decision making.

Dental Services

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were registered with NHS dentists in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in each year since 2008.

Alistair Burt: The National Health Service does not collect information about registration and so this is not available.

Ealing Hospital: Paediatrics

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to (a) close and (b) reduce services at the pediatric department at Ealing Hospital.

Ben Gummer: This is a matter for the local National Health Service.   As the hon. Member is aware, under the Shaping a Healthier Future reconfiguration programme, maternity services are being concentrated at consultant-staffed, 24-7 maternity units in six locations across North West London. The decision to move births away from Ealing Hospital was endorsed by an independent advisory panel and then the Health Secretary in October 2013.   In planning for these changes, clinical leaders examined the inter-dependent services at Ealing Hospital, and recommended that in-patient paediatric services will also need to move in order to maintain the staffing levels required to deliver high-quality services in line with quality standards to improve patient outcomes.   We are advised that the current proposal is for in-patient paediatric services to continue to be provided at Ealing Hospital until 30 June 2016.   There will be improvements to those paediatric services that will remain in place at Ealing Hospital after 30 June 2016. This includes the introduction of a new seven-day-a-week Rapid Access Clinic, which is expected to be operational by autumn 2015. The clinic will enable general practitioners to obtain same day specialist paediatric opinion for patients, where they believe it to be appropriate.   We are advised that Ealing Hospital will continue to provide a full paediatric outpatient service and a day-case service.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was between referral to secondary care and the beginning of treatment in (a) England, (b) London, (c) the London Borough of Islington and (d) Islington South and Finsbury constituency in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The information is shown in the following table.   Median waiting time in weeks from referral to the start of consultant-led treatment for non-urgent conditions for admitted and non-admitted patients in (a) England, (b) London, and (c) Islington, June 2010 to May 2015EnglandLondon1Islington2MonthAdmittedpatients3Non-admittedpatients4AdmittedpatientsNon-admittedpatientsAdmittedpatientsNon-admittedpatientsJune 20108.34.48.44.27.93.0July 20108.34.38.24.08.51.8August 20108.34.48.14.08.12.0September 20108.74.78.54.28.61.5October 20108.74.38.43.88.21.6November 20108.34.28.13.88.51.8December 20107.94.17.83.78.01.6January 20119.14.88.94.49.21.6February 20119.03.58.83.19.71.7March 20117.93.77.83.28.01.5April 20117.73.77.73.17.51.4May 20118.44.58.53.98.91.8June 20118.74.18.53.49.11.4July 20118.23.98.13.48.41.7August 20118.14.18.13.47.61.4September 20118.84.58.93.89.31.3October 20118.43.98.63.38.61.2November 20118.14.08.13.48.01.3December 20117.83.88.13.17.61.2January 20128.84.49.13.68.31.4February 20128.73.69.02.98.31.5March 20128.13.67.92.97.71.4April 20128.14.08.03.17.71.5May 20128.44.18.43.28.11.6June 20128.44.28.53.17.51.5July 20128.54.18.23.27.01.5August 20128.34.38.03.17.51.4September 20128.84.78.73.67.41.4October 20128.64.28.33.37.71.4November 20128.34.28.03.37.41.4December 20128.04.07.72.87.01.2January 20139.24.88.83.68.01.2February 20139.23.88.72.87.81.3March 20138.23.97.73.17.52.0April 20138.55.17.95.17.55.2May 20138.74.87.94.87.04.9June 20138.75.27.95.27.65.0July 20138.65.07.95.07.44.8August 20138.65.28.05.17.45.1September 20139.15.78.45.66.45.2October 20139.05.18.55.17.35.2November 20138.75.18.15.17.44.8December 20138.34.97.84.86.54.5January 20149.45.89.05.89.46.2February 20149.54.78.84.97.35.2March 20148.84.88.24.96.85.4April 20148.65.08.25.17.45.8May 20149.15.58.45.57.66.3June 20149.45.48.75.37.75.7July 20148.95.28.35.17.75.5August 20148.95.58.25.36.25.8September 20149.56.09.25.98.86.3October 20149.35.48.95.27.56.8November 20149.25.48.65.37.66.2December 20148.45.17.85.07.25.8January 20159.76.19.06.09.06.9February 201510.05.29.55.08.35.4March 20159.15.08.54.97.45.6April 20159.05.58.75.47.76.1May 20159.35.58.78.47.75.8   Source: consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times, NHS England   Notes:London is defined as London Strategic Health Authority to March 2013 and London Area Team from April 2013.The information is published by National Health Service commissioning area (primary care trusts (PCTs) to March 2013 and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) from April 2013) and not by local authority or parliamentary constituency. Islington is therefore defined as Islington PCT to March 2013 and NHS Islington CCG from April 2013.Referral to treatment waiting times for patients whose wait ended during the month with an inpatient or day case admission for treatment.Referral to treatment waiting times for patients whose wait ended during the month for reasons other than an inpatient or day case admission for treatment (e.g. started treatment in an outpatient setting).Responsibility for the commissioning of consultant-led sexual health services was transferred to local authorities on 1 April 2013. This means that data is not consistent over the period and is likely to have had most effect on the median waits for non-admitted patients.

Action on Smoking and Health: Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any application for grant funding from Action on Smoking and Health has been refused in the last five years; and what the date and reasons for such refusal were in each such case.

Jane Ellison: An application for grant funding from Action on Smoking and Health has not been refused in the last five years.

Dental Services

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people and what proportion of patients in each region of England have not seen a dentist in the last two years.

Alistair Burt: Information is not available on the number of patients who have not seen a dentist in the last two years because the Department does not collect information on private dental treatment.

Blood: Contamination

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements have been made to distribute the £25 million of additional compensation to people infected with contaminated blood; when he plans to report progress on this matter to the House; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: On 25 March, the Prime Minister announced that £25 million would be allocated to support transition to a reformed scheme. A written ministerial statement (HCWS146) was given on 20 July, stating that no decision has yet been made but it will be used appropriately to support any transitional arrangements once we have consulted on how a new scheme might be structured.